


this love's delicious

by tennice



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Domestic, Caretaker Taeyong, In the Kitchen!, M/M, Ten is so cute and beautiful who wouldn't want to adore him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 12:32:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17898494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tennice/pseuds/tennice
Summary: Taeyong cooks dinner.





	this love's delicious

**Author's Note:**

> just some random taeten thoughts i had the other day brushing my teeth! enjoy

Taeyong sets the knife down for a moment when he hears the door click shut, looking up towards the doorway. He knows there’s no way Ten could be there already, having only just walked in the door, but he stays there, frozen, alert, listening to the shuffling sounds of Ten removing his shoes and jacket. A soft sigh barely makes its way down the hall to Taeyong’s ears, but it knocks him from his trance and he looks away at last. The onion he’s holding is almost done being chopped, and as soon as he lets the pieces slide off the cutting board into the pan, Ten is there, appearing in the doorway in his periphery.

Taeyong turns around, returning Ten’s greeting, watching him flop himself down at the table and cradle his head in his hand. Behind him, the onions are sizzling, but there’s still a while before he needs to stir them. As Ten rambles through the events of his day, Taeyong watches his face, his eyebrows pulling up when Ten’s face widens with emphasis, a smile creeping from his lips when Ten grins widely. Ten’s life is exciting, ever-changing, working with new artists and choreographers and fellow dancers all the time. He weaves from one story to the next, his whole body a tool for acting out his interactions throughout the day. Taeyong knows he must be tired, remembers the way his own muscles used to ache from full days of dancing, but Ten is unphased, always too energized by his own storytelling to even feel his soreness.

Taeyong’s mental onion timer is finally up, and he offers a small, wordless smile before turning back to the stove. Though he’s no longer facing Ten, they both know he’s still listening. He pushes the wooden spoon around the pan, the onions sizzling once again with the new position. Nothing’s burnt. He piles them together onto one side, then scoops them around the whole pan once and redistributes them evenly so nothing cooks faster than anything else. Ten is laughing as he recounts a joke he made during rehearsal, and Taeyong briefly turns his head halfway to show him that he’s laughing, too.  Ten's laugh rings out into the tiny space, and filled with the smell of the onions in the oil, and the heat of the stove and of their two bodies, the room barely feels like the same kitchen from five minutes before. Ten finally stops laughing and continues his story, grin still audible in his voice, and Taeyong’s face flushes with the heat of the stove. 

He’s nibbling on his thumb, watching the pan absently when Ten asks him about his own day. Cocking his head in thought, he turns around to find Ten staring up at him, still leaning on one arm, his head resting in one hand. Taeyong answers that nothing much happened only because it’s the truth: he worked his shift, walked home through the park, stopped at the market, watched TV, and then started on dinner. While Ten’s job is predicated on newness, Taeyong’s day-to-day life varies very little. The difference in their lives has never bothered him much. Taeyong thrives on the monotony of his life -- doesn’t even consider it monotony, really. Sameness in the greater parts of his life lets him appreciate smaller changes more. New customers at the cafe, seasonal fruits arriving at the market, the dog at the park who got a haircut that’s too short. Taeyong likes knowing these things, likes collecting facts, and is never upset when those facts change. It only makes an even fuller picture, only makes things more vibrant than before.

Their conversation has moved beyond recounting their days, flitting from one topic to the next. The onions are almost fully translucent now, so Taeyong adds slices of marinated beef and lowers the heat. He listens and responds to Ten while measuring and pouring out each element of the sauce into a tiny bowl, turning to stir the pan carefully between every ingredient. He’s made this dish so many times that he doesn’t need to consult a recipe anymore. It’s simple yet hearty, enough to fill Ten’s appetite after a long day at work. He pours the watery sauce into the pan and ups the heat this time, stirring the beef and onions as the liquid begins to bubble. Ten has fallen silent, scrolling through his phone, while Taeyong pulls the lid off the rice cooker and turns the rice so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

He leaves the steaming rice and bubbling pan to receive Ten’s phone as he hands it to him. A dance video from Ten’s discover page flashes on the screen, a fast-paced, jazzy choreo with lots of kicks. As Taeyong hands the phone back, Ten starts to describe a new dance he’s been planning, and looks up the song he has in mind. He places his phone on the table, and goes to grab two glasses from the cabinet and fill them with water. Taeyong nods along to the music, unable to see whether or not Ten is starting to choreograph behind him, too busy scooping out the rice into two portions. The beef dish is finally ready, the brown sauce cooked down to a thick, sweet-smelling consistency that coats the pan. He places a generous amount in each bowl on top of the rice, and sets them down next to each of the glasses on the table, making sure the bowl with more beef goes to Ten. Before he sits, Taeyong rests his hand on the nape of Ten’s neck, and Ten looks back up at him, pursing his lips into a tiny smile.

“Thank you for making dinner,” he beams.

“Of course,” Taeyong replies, and sits down next to him to eat.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!!!!  
> title from "Step With Me" by mika:
> 
> This love's delicious  
> Like home-cooked dishes  
> I'm tasting mischievously
> 
> anyways uhhh my twitter is @taeyongyuan and my curious cat is /taeyongyuan and !!!!!!!!!! thanks again for reading uwu


End file.
